college romance
by Missus Carlikins
Summary: Gajeel didn't really care about classic literature, but he didn't drop the class for one reason, and that reason was Levy McGarden. [GaLe; College AU; One-Shot]


**Notes:** Wrote this as a request on my fic blog and actually sort of liked how it turned out ... In fact I might end up writing a couple more ficlets in this universe if the mood hits.

* * *

Gajeel didn't really care about classic literature, but he didn't drop the class for one reason, and that reason was Levy McGarden.

She sat one row down and two chairs left from him. She had blue hair and brown eyes and always had at least three books on her at all times. Sometimes she wore glasses. She'd had to ask the boy in front of her to move over a seat because she couldn't see over his head. Gajeel had barely stopped himself from beating that boy to a pulp when he stared at her with _those_ eyes.

She was best friends with a big breasted blonde who wasn't in the class, but they always met afterwards. Sometimes the Dragneel boy was with them. Gajeel didn't like it when he was there, even though he clearly only had eyes for the blonde.

She lived in the girls dorms and volunteered at the library on Tuesdays.

She had the most beautiful smile Gajeel had ever seen.

Gajeel spoke to her once. He'd missed a class and had happened to run into her on campus. She avoided looking in his eyes and gripped her books tight against her chest. She'd been afraid of him. So he asked about what he missed and left, not dwelling on the pain in his chest.

He was used to people being afraid of him. Six feet tall with long black hair and a face covered in metal made him look pretty intimidating. Normally it didn't bother him.

With her it did.

That was when he realized he loved her.

x

It was Tuesday and Gajeel sat in the back corner of the library, his eyes on the front desk. She was talking to a couple of boys, laughing at something they said before pointing them in the direction of the books they were looking for and returning to her previous task. She didn't even notice the looks they gave her as they walked away.

She was too oblivious.

"Juvia thinks Gajeel should just talk to her."

He shot a glare at his friend. She'd joined him today because she said she had a test to study for, but he knew she only came because Gray was there.

"Juvia doesn't really have a right to say that, now does she?" He looked pointedly in Gray's direction and she flushed.

"Juvia has spoken to Gray before."

"Well I've spoken to Levy before."

"Once does not count!"

"Oh? And how many times have you talked to Gray?"

The blush darkened and she dropped her gaze to the table. "Twice."

He snorted and flipped the page in the book he wasn't really reading, glancing back towards the front desk only to realize Levy was no longer there. He straightened in his chair and glanced around, but he couldn't see her. Had she left already?

"Gajeel?" Juvia cocked her head to the side curiously when he rose to his feet.

"I'm going. Enjoy your stalking."

"It's not stalking!" she hissed, but he was already walking away.

He turned down one of the shelves to put his book away, but froze at the entrance. There was Levy, a cart of books beside her. She was on her tiptoes, trying to get a book onto the top shelf. Gajeel almost chuckled at the sight, but then he noticed the way the shelf was shaking slightly and the books that were loose on the top. Then she did a little jump and dislodged them and he moved without thinking.

His hand slammed on the books and he pulled her against his chest, wincing at the few that fell and hit his back. That would leave bruises.

"That was close," he breathed, and then he realized he still had Levy pressed against his chest and he quickly released her, stumbling back against the shelf, which caused a few more books to topple on top of him. He winced again and stared at the small pile on the ground. He wanted to run, but Levy was _right there_.

"U-um," she stuttered, her cheeks red. "Thank you." Then she smiled, and he thought his heart was going to climb up his throat.

That smile was his.

"No problem," he muttered, dropping his head. He could feel the blush and hoped his ears weren't too red.

"I– um– Are you hurt?"

She was close. So close. He could reach out and touch her. He could see if her hair was as soft as it looked.

"I'm fine." It came out rougher than he'd meant and she flinched back slightly, just enough to hurt. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration beating the nerves. "Sorry," he muttered. "Didn't mean to scare ya." He looked back at the books on the ground and dropped to his knees, ignoring the twinges of pain from his shoulder as he began to collect them. _Damn heavy books_.

A small hand covered his and he froze, blinking at it in surprise.

_She_ was touching _him_.

He raised his gaze to her face and she smiled.

"Thank you."

He swallowed and drew his hand back, rising to his feet. "You should be more careful."

"I know." She took the books from him and set them on the cart, the smile still on her face. "I promise from now on I'll use a stepladder." She shifted her weight between feet, her smile dimming slightly and her eyes dropping form his face. "Um … You're Gajeel, right? From classic lit?"

His voice was frozen in his throat so he nodded and she smiled again.

"I'll see you in class then," she said, dipping her head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go find that stepladder."

She disappeared down the row and he knew he should go before she got back, but he seemed to have lost the feeling in his legs. He slid to the ground and buried his face in his hands, knowing his ears were probably redder than ketchup. He just couldn't believe it.

She knew his name.

She'd talked to him and hadn't run away scared.

He couldn't stop the smile that stretched across his face even if he'd wanted to.

x

He hadn't expected much when he walked into the classroom. He'd glanced in Levy's direction, like he always had, but today she wasn't looking down at her book. Today she was looking right at him.

She smiled when she saw him and gave him a small wave and he knew he should wave back, but he couldn't remember how. Instead he gave an awkward nod and shuffled to his seat, keeping his head down.

Nothing else changed. He continued to pay more attention to Levy than the class, and she continued to act like he wasn't there. Although to be fair it wasn't like she was ignoring him, she was just one of those people that got very focused when they were doing something. But there had been a few times when he felt like she was looking at him, when he glanced up though, she was always looking straight ahead at the teacher so he knew he must've been imagining it.

Then class came to an end and he packed up his stuff, thinking about what he would do for dinner. He knew the minute she walked up and he expected her to just walk right past, but she paused and waited and finally he glanced up at her. She looked nervous, but it wasn't the same type of nervous most people had around him. She didn't look like she was afraid he would attack at any second.

"Um," she said, her eyes flicking to his face before returning to whatever she was looking at over his head. "Some friends and I were planning on going to the pizza place a few blocks away and I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come along?"

He wasn't sure he'd ever heard anyone say so much before without taking a breath, and he chuckled. Only to stop when she gave a small gasp.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," she said, her hand over her mouth making the words slightly muffled. Her cheeks were dusted with a blush and he raised a brow in question. "I just-" She lowered her hand and smiled. "You have a really nice smile."

It was his turn to blush and he dropped his head, hoping to hide it from her.

She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet slightly. "So," she said, clearly trying to change the topic. "What do you say to dinner?"

He knew he should say no. Knew that if he went with her he'd probably make a fool of himself, or do something that scared her away. But he also knew he'd never get another opportunity like this.

"Sure."

And the smile she gave him made him forget about all of his worries. At least for the moment.

x

"I don't see what's so scary about you," the blonde was saying. Her name was Lucy Heartfilia, she was the daughter of some rich businessman, or something. "I mean yeah you've got tattoos and piercings, and you scowl, _a lot_, but you're just so … awkward."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come on. You think I didn't notice? You're always watching Levy." She took a sip of her drink and Gajeel was grateful that Levy was currently playing one of the video games with Natsu. "I mean if you were truly scary you probably would've just threatened her until she agreed to date you, but you didn't even approach her."

"I-" he started, but Lucy shushed him with a wave of her hand.

"Glad to see you finally got the balls to talk to her, or did she initiate it?"

"Why would she have initiated it?"

"You didn't notice? She's always –" She cut off suddenly when Levy and Natsu returned. Natsu dropped into the spot beside Lucy, leaving Levy to sit next to him. He tried not to notice how close they were, that he could feel the heat from her body against his side. Tried, but failed.

"What were you guys talking 'bout?" Natsu asked, a piece of pizza shoved in his mouth.

"Ew," Lucy said, smacking at his arm. "Swallow before eating."

Natsu stuck out his tongue, showing off his freshly chewed pizza and Gajeel snorted when Lucy shrieked and threw a napkin at him.

"Boys are so gross."

Natsu laughed loudly, but finished his pizza before talking again.

"I was just telling Levy about the time I kicked your ass, Gajeel."

"Oh? I don't remember that."

"Sure you do. You ran home, sniveling like a baby."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and grabbed another slice of pizza. "Must've blocked the traumatic event from my memory."

"Don't worry. I can recreate it for you."

"Natsu, what did I tell you about fighting friends?" Lucy said.

"Not to do it."

"Exactly. If you want to fight then take up martial arts or something."

Natsu dropped his head to the table. "But that's _boring_."

"Too bad."

Gajeel glanced at Levy. During all of this she'd remained quiet and he wondered what was going through her head. He blinked when he realized she was looking at him, and she smiled.

"Thanks," she said, and his brow furrowed.

"For what?"

She just smiled again.

"Just … thanks."

She turned towards Lucy and he kept staring at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. At least until Natsu threw the glob of wet napkin at his face, and then he was too busy trying to strangle him to really think about anything.

x

He was stretched out on his bed, throwing a ball at his ceiling, when Juvia strode in and snatched it out of the air.

"Why didn't you tell me you were dating the girl?"

He blinked a few times as he processed what she said, and then he sat up suddenly.

"What?"

"You're dating that Levy girl, and you didn't tell me."

"We're not dating!"

"Oh? Then why are you spending all your time with her? Why did I hear those two boys of hers whining about how she no longer pays attention to them because she's always with you?"

"Because we're –" He stopped. Because they were what.

Were they friends? No … that didn't sound right. But they weren't more than friends, that much was for sure. He might love her, but there was no way she thought that way about him. Maybe acquaintances?

"We're just hanging out," he finally settled on. Although it was true they did spend an awful lot of time together. It had been a month since that day in the library and he now spent almost all of his free time with her. In fact the only reason he wasn't with her right now was because she had a test to study for and he didn't want to distract her.

"Just hanging out? Gajeel, you love her."

"So? I'm not allowed to be friends with her because I have feelings for her?"

"That's not what Juvia meant." She sighed and sat next to him. "Juvia just meant that it makes no sense. You love her, and she loves you. So why is it just hanging out?"

"What?"

"What?"

"What did you just say?"

Juvia cocked her head to the side. "You love her?"

"No. After that."

She blinked, a small smile curling her lips.

"She loves you. It is very obvious. Gajeel hasn't noticed?"

"No, because it's wrong."

Juvia laughed softly. "If you say so, but Gajeel is the one that is wrong."

He glowered at her and opened his mouth to respond, but a light knock at his door distracted him. "We're not finished," he muttered, getting to his feet.

He opened the door, not sure what he was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't _Levy_. She stood there, looking too cute in a big coat with a scarf wrapped around her face. She had her glasses on and when she saw him, she pulled the scarf away from her mouth, a smile on her lips.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey." He blinked a couple of times and thought about hitting himself to see if this was just a dream, but then Juvia appeared behind him.

"Oh, it's you."

The smile fell from Levy's face and she stared at Juvia. Hurt flashed across her face and Gajeel felt something in him crack. He didn't want her to hurt.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I hadn't realized- I didn't think you'd have company. I'll just go." She turned to leave, but Gajeel grabbed her wrist.

"She was just leaving."

He shot a glare at Juvia, who laughed.

"Right, of course. Juvia has other things to do." She brushed passed Gajeel, pausing for a moment. "Gajeel's just a friend," she said, glancing at Levy. "Do not worry." Then she was gone and Gajeel tugged Levy into his room, shutting the door behind him. Knowing his friend she'd be listening in, and he wanted to avoid that.

"I'm sorry," Levy repeated, shifting her weight. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"You didn't."

"Oh."

Silence fell over them and Gajeel tried to think of something to say, anything to break the awkwardness.

"Why'd you stop by?" he asked.

"Oh, well I finished studying and I was going to see if you maybe wanted to do something."

"Oh."

More silence.

"I think I'm just going to-"

"We're not a couple."

She paused and glanced at him. It was the first time she'd met his eyes since she got here. "What?"

"Juvia and I. We're not- It's not like that." He ran a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling inside him. "I just … I didn't want you to think that."

She blinked and took a small step forward. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you want me to think that?"

He noticed that some of the nerves seemed to have vanished from her. She was no longer huddled up in her coat, instead she stood tall, her shoulders squared and her eyes bright. She took another step closer and he licked his lips.

"Uh, well … You just-" Another step. "You just seemed so-" She was only a couple of feet away now. If he wanted to, he could reach out and grab her. "You seemed upset." The words came out in a rush of breath and she cocked her head to the side.

"Is that the only reason?"

"Yes?"

She laughed and he wondered if Juvia had been right. Maybe Levy _did_ like him. Maybe it wouldn't be awful if he just told the truth …

"Are you sure there wasn't another reason?"

He might never get another chance like this …

"And if I said there was another reason?" he asked, shoving all the nerves away. He couldn't keep being afraid.

It was now or never.

"Tell me," she breathed. There was something in her eyes, a hopeful glint that made him slide forward a step and brush her hair out of her face. Something that made him dip his head until their noses brushed and their breaths mingled. Something that made him tell the truth.

"I like you."

And then Levy laughed again, her arm wrapping around his neck and her mouth meeting his halfway. He wasn't sure how it happened, _why_ it happened, but he had Levy in his arms and he was never letting her go.

They broke apart, their breaths coming in short pants, and she stared up at him, her smile brighter than ever.

"I like you too. In fact, I _like_ like you."

He chuckled and rested his chin on the top of her head, warmth filling him. He'd never felt so good before, never realized it was possible to feel so happy.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?"

He thought for a moment.

"I'm failing classic lit," he admitted, smiling at her surprised laugh.

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He leaned back, grinning down at her. "And it's your fault."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really. You're too cute, it's distracting." She laughed and he pressed his forehead against hers. "You've gotta take responsibility."

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

He shrugged pressing a kiss to her nose.

"You could tutor me."

"I don't know … You, and me, alone in a room with nothing to do but study. Doesn't sound very fun to me."

He breathed a chuckle.

"I can make it fun."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" She grinned up at him and he sighed, leaning forward to brush a kiss against her mouth.

_I love you so much_.

* * *

**_end._**


End file.
